Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has asked the state whether a security helpline and CCTVs can be installed for the safety of women in public transport.
A Division Bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Arijit Banerjee, during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation filed by one Renu Pradhan regarding the safety and security of women in public transport in the state, directed the latter to submit an affidavit by August 12. The plea pointed out that women are often molested in public transport. But the necessary help is not available at the time of the incident. In many cases, the police cannot take any action to identify the culprits. To address this problem, security helplines should be introduced in all public and private buses and taxis in the state and CCTV cameras should be installed. According to the petitioner, women feel insecure and incidents of indecency often take place.
In the same case, a citizen named Ankan Biswas pleaded that even transgenders are not safe in public transport. His request is to bring an app that will have detailed information about the driver and others in the vehicle. As is in the case of app cabs, there are driver's numbers as well as the vehicle number, helpline number and a GPS system.
The state has also been asked if it is possible to build the entire infrastructure and how much it will cost.